Tips for Cooking with Eggs

With Easter just around the corner, my thoughts, of course, turned to the Easter Bunny, and eggs! Below are a few egg-cooking tips I’ve learned through the years. I’ve also included a link for my favorite Baked Egg recipe, which is standard Sunday dinner fare at the Briggs house all year round. Happy Easter!

BOILED EGG COOKING TIME: Boil eggs for 3 to 6 minutes for a very runny yolk, 7 to 9 minutes for a soft yolk and 11 to 13 minutes for a hard yolk.

KEEP PEELED boiled eggs from getting slimy or rubbery by placing a paper towel in the refrigerator container with the boiled eggs. Store the eggs in the refrigerator for fresh-peeled texture up to 4 days.

GOT MIXED UP EGGS? A boiled egg will spin like a top on the counter, where an un-boiled (raw) egg will wobble lazily.

EGGS STAY fresh longer if they’re stored with the wide end up.

A FRESH EGG will be firm with a yolk that stands up on the white; an old egg will have a flat yolk that’s more flush with the white.

TO TELL IF EGGS are fresh, immerse the whole egg (in its shell) in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs will drop to the bottom, while stale eggs will float to the surface.

EGG PRODUCERS recommend we leave eggs in their original carton from the store, and always store eggs in the back area of the refrigerator where it’s cooler.

DEVILED EGGS: An easy way to fill deviled eggs is by placing the egg yolk mixture in a pastry bag and squeeze away. Alternatively, fill a small plastic bag with egg yolk mixture, snip off one tip at bottom of bag and squeeze mixture into whites.

HARD BOILED eggs peel easier if they’re not too fresh. Leave eggs in refrigerator for at least a week before boiling.

FOR EASY PEEL boiled eggs, boil eggs for only 10 minutes, pour off water and then chill thoroughly before peeling.

ADD 1-TEASPOON BAKING SODA or 1-teaspoon white vinegar to the water when boiling eggs so the shells will easily peel away.

CENTERED EGG YOLKS: To center egg yolks, gently twirl the eggs while they’re cooking. This places the yolk in the center of the white, which helps avoid tearing while peeling the egg, and the eggs look prettier with the yolks centered nicely in the center of each deviled eggs.

A PREHEATED PAN with preheated oil will help keep eggs from sticking.

PANINI PAN TO THE RESCUE: Use a panini press to flip an omelet, which will take the guesswork and the mess out of flipping it.

WHEN POACHING EGGS, drop each egg into a small sieve to let the excess moisture drain away before adding egg to simmering water.

ADD 1 TEASPOON softened, salted butter to scrambled eggs when they’ve started to dry out from cooking too long. The eggs are still overcooked but the butter tricks your tongue into thinking the eggs are silky smooth.

MAKE SCRAMBLED eggs in the microwave by whipping together the eggs and some milk; pour into a prepared bowl or cup and microwave for approximately 2 minutes or so depending on how many eggs are being cooked.

KEEP FRIED EGGS from running all over the pan by dropping egg into a large, fresh onion ring; then fry as usual.

USE BUTTERED BISCUIT or cookie cutters to cook eggs into perfectly round shapes. This is great for making homemade Egg Mc Muffins or bagel sandwiches.

TO SEPARATE yolks from whites without breaking the yolk, draw white away from yolk by using an empty plastic water bottle or a turkey baster.

WHEN SEPARATING eggs, yolks are less likely to break if eggs are closer to room temperature rather than refrigerator temperature.

THE FRESHER the egg, the easier it will separate without a broken yolk.

SEPARATE EGGS by dropping into a small funnel that’s been placed in a small dish. White will run through, yolk will remain in funnel.

IF A YOLK breaks when separating eggs for meringue, set it aside and use in another project. Bits of yolk that can’t be seen by the naked eye can ruin meringue.

BRUSH EGG wash onto bread or pastry before scoring surface to prevent egg wash from dripping down and sealing the scored area.

WHEN CLEANING up after a cooking project, rinse egg bowls with cold water. Rinsing with hot water causes the egg residue to stick to the bowl’s surface.